Gift Card Fraud Scheme: Philadelphia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for causing more than $700K of losses in fraudulent Gift Card scheme


A Philadelphia man has been handed a federal prison sentence for his participation in a gift card scheme, as announced by officials. 

Mamadou Bah, 39 years old, was sentenced to two years in federal prison by the Department of Justice's District of Delaware. 

The scheme involved acquiring thousands of dollars in gift cards and merchandise from a prominent nationwide home improvement store.


According to court documents, Bah, using the alias Richard Traynham, conducted over a thousand fraudulent transactions at home improvement stores across the country between May 2018 and June 2020. 

He employed a barcode on his phone, linked to fraudulent credit cards, to pay for gift cards and merchandise at these stores.

The Department of Justice reveals that Bah's actions resulted in losses exceeding $733,000 across 21 states. 

He pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, a charge that carries a mandatory two-year sentence.

United States Attorney David C. Weiss stated, "Mr. Bah engaged in a profitable fraud scheme for years by using identity theft.  Through collaboration with our law enforcement partners, my office successfully halted Mr. Bah's further fraudulent activities and secured a federal prison sentence. 

This should serve as a warning to those who believe they can steal another person's identity information to defraud retailers. If caught and convicted, a mandatory prison sentence awaits you."


In a similar news, detectives have linked the murder of four portland women who died within the same area. See details here

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